


The Viking and the Witch

by MCU_Supersoldiers_Etc



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anal Sex, Explicit Sexual Content, Loki manages to be sassy even when he can't speak, M/M, Masturbation, Muteness, Thor is a big tough teddy bear, Thor/Loki - Freeform, Viking AU, Violence, Witchcraft, cute courting stuff, not my concept, not related in this au, published with permission
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-18
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2019-04-04 05:27:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14013177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MCU_Supersoldiers_Etc/pseuds/MCU_Supersoldiers_Etc
Summary: Thor is a big tough warrior, and Loki is a mute, accused witch that lives in the woods. Thor is smitten.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This work is based on Teckmonky's Viking AU over on tumblr. I thought it was adorable, and wanted to write a full fic for it. No idea how long it will run or whatever, this is just the beginning. A little into of sorts. Published with Teckmonky's enthusiastic approval.  
> Sorry that I am absolutely TERRIBLE at titling things. I always want to have a cool title, but there's not really enough of this formed yet for me to pull some neat quote or something from it?? Uhhh, so yeah, have a stupidly obvious, lame-ass title.  
> Enjoy!

Thor’s clan met even less opposition that he’d expected. He was just one of a few war chiefs, sent out to expand his people’s domain.

The village was small, perhaps a hundred or so people, and a few dozen more sprawled out across miles of land that seemed good for crops and flocks. They were a quiet people, meek and superstitious. And they were more willing to join than be pillaged, as had been their misfortune in the past.

It was at the feast, the villagers celebrating their new protectors, and the conquerors their new clan members, that Thor first heard mention of something… different. 

“Swear, saw some pale faerie in the woods! Thought we was ‘bout to be cursed!” one of his comrades declared drunkenly.

The villagers then told of a man that lived in the woods just south of the village. Fair, but strange. There were whispers of his being a witch. He had lived amongst them, in his youth, but one day, he had lost his voice, and there were accusations of selling his voice for evil magicks. 

Thor wasn’t sure if he believed it, but it had him curious. As the revelries subsided, he stepped out of the hall, breathing in the crisp night air. The moon was bright, but even he was not fool enough to go calling for a witch in the dead of night. 

Come dawn, he took to the woods. An old, quiet place, he reflected. Good hunting, he noted, seeing a deer in the distance, and scaring a rabbit from the underbrush. A fine place for his people to prosper. And with the fresh blood of new brothers and sisters in the villagers.

He came to a narrow stream, and on the other side of it, a little thatched hut. The underbrush had been cleared away nearby, and a hearty vegetable garden was flourishing there. He could see bundles of herbs drying in the eaves by the door. And then he saw its inhabitant.

Skin near as fair as milk, hair like a raven’s wing, lean and firm of limb. The fairest being he’d ever seen. He now understood why his men had mistaken him for some magical being. Thor’s heart hammered in his chest, and want stirred in his loins. Then the man was looking it him, and Thor’s breath caught in his throat. They were… green. But not the warm green of grass, or the bright green of an emerald. They were paler, softer… colder, somehow. Like the first buds of spring, covered in frost. Those eyes regarded Thor with curiosity, and suspicion. 

Thor stepped forward, squaring his shoulders, taking on an air of authority. “Greetings. I am Thor, son of Odin, War Chief of the Asgard clans. We’ve come looking to expand our lands, and the people of this region have surrendered, willingly, to me and my warriors. You are under MY rule now. I… that is all.” he finished, nearly stammering. He turned away quickly, feeling heat rising to his face. 

Loki cocked his head, regarding the stranger, his new Chief, intently. He wondered if this would be a recurring event, or if it was just a courtesy call, and he, like the villagers, would be content to leave him alone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A second meet-up in the woods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your kind words so far!!   
> This chapter contains SOME sexual content, but it is not explicit. Specifically: masturbation.

In a way, settling down was harder than conquering. Always moving, always with purpose. Violence was something that came easily to Thor and his people. 

Settling down... less so.

There was much to do. The village could not stand as it was, not by Viking standards. There was no proper Great Hall for Lord and governance, and nothing to speak of for defenses. Thor praised the gods for the patience and skill of some of his men, who set to the tedious task of teaching their ways to their newly adopted clansmen. Thor was a kind and generous Chief, and eager to make this new place their home, but he had little patience for teaching. He was better suited to tasks of the body, and spent the days that followed their conquest side by side with old and new brothers and sisters, raising new halls and homes. They needed much timber, but it went unspoken that it would come from the western woods, half a day by horse-drawn cart. The villagers would not cut trees from the South. He learned that there were tales of strange happenings in those woods going back many generations among these people, and their hesitation was not based solely on the single current inhabitant of those woods.   

Thor thought of the man there, mind wandering as he hammered beams into place in the new Hall. 

Beautiful. He’d been so exquisitely  _beautiful._ He could not get the vision of him far from his mind. Nor had he felt such longing for anyone... perhaps ever in his life. A warm body in his bed was a perfectly fine thing to want and have, but this was something  _different._ He could feel it in his bones, and... other places. 

It was weeks before he could do more than just spare the man a thought between his duties. He had sent one of his most trusted, Fandral, back to his father, who ruled from the heart of their territory, about their success. He anticipated that Fandral would return with a caravan of more settlers, and supplies to make this new land feel more like home.

Thor was a man of action, and though the manual labor of building was well and good, he had a perfect excuse to visit the woods again. He would go hunting, he’d seen deer there, and perhaps there were boar as well. Building and camaraderie were hungry work.  

He set out one cool morning, venturing south. He often hunted alone, it was not strange for him to do so now. He found it peaceful, almost meditative, in a way. For a warrior, he moved with an almost uncanny quietness through the ancient woods. He found deer tracks, not too old, and followed them for a mile or so, before he finally caught sight of his prey through a break in the trees. He pulled his bow from its sleeve, stringing it deftly. He was not as proficient with it as some in his clan, and he had never wielded a longbow in battle, but he could more often than not find his mark with his sturdy little hunting bow. Such was it this time, as well. Not a clean kill, missing the heart to fell the creature instantly, but enough for Thor to catch the wounded animal and finish it off efficiently with a knife.

He had lost track of his path while hunting, and did not realize where he was until he heard the startled bleat of a goat. He’d wandered back to the stream, right into the backyard of the stunningly beautiful witch. He stood frozen in place, wondering what he should do. Just keep moving? Announce himself? He didn’t get the chance to decide, before the man was coming out of his home.

~

He had not been expecting to see the Chief again. 

He’d come out expecting the goat had been spooked by a fox. They came around once in awhile, brazenly trying to get their paws on one of his handful of chickens. Instead, there was a six and a half foot blond practically in his vegetable patch, a dead deer slung across his back. 

The man looked surprised as well. And couldn’t seem to look Loki in the face.

“Pardon the intrusion, I don’t know these woods well yet. I was just on my way back to the village from the hunt.” the Chief stammered. 

Loki’s shoulders slumped. He’d heard the rumors, apparently. The new chief was afraid of him.  _Thor,_ that was his name, he recalled. 

He sighed silently. He bowed slightly, gesturing north to the village. He was free to pass through, if he wished. 

But Thor did not move, looking strangely at him. 

“So... you can understand me, but cannot speak?” he asked, sounding almost.... meek. “Are you truly a witch?” he inquired.

Loki rolled his eyes. He’d have preferred if the man just  _left._ He made a gesture towards the village in annoyance, then patted the frame of his home fondly. 

“I... I see. I think.” Thor said, looking somewhat confused. Loki huffed silently. Loki pointed at the village, tapped his temple, then made a wiggling motion at Thor with his fingers.

“They... think you’re a witch?” Thor guessed. Loki smiled, nodding. He gestured at the woods all around him, and his home, then himself, smiling serenely.

“Here.... this is..... your choice?” Thor said hesitantly. 

Close enough. Loki nodded. 

“I see.” Thor repeated. He bowed his head in acknowledgment. “I shall leave you to your solitude then. Farewell.” he said.

Loki watched him pass briskly by his home, and into the woods again. Watched longer than necessary, if he were honest with himself. 

The new Chief was handsome, he’d give him that, Loki thought to himself. 

~

Thor had to walk away quickly, lest the man see his cheeks redden, or worse, if he happened to look lower.

Gods, the man’s smile was as bright as the sun, and lit a fire in his loins! When he was a good half hour’s walk away from the stream and the house there, he had to stop. He put down the deer carcass, and found a quiet copse of close trees to give himself cover. He pulled himself from his breeches, stroking himself to completion, imagining what the pale mute would look like sprawled out beneath him. Imagined that smile... with rose-blotched cheeks, heavy-lidded eyes, and sweat-soaked strands of hair sticking to his brow. 

Somewhat relieved once he finished, he tucked himself back in, and continued back to the village with his kill. 

 _Maybe this IS witchcraft,_ Thor thought to himself as the cluster of homes appeared in the distance. If it was... he couldn’t say he minded. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer was in its prime, when Thor saw Loki again. This time, in the village, much to his surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I'm terrible and it's been like 2 months since my last chapter update. ;;^^ I'm afraid I lost inspiration for it for awhile. But I do enjoy it, and teckmonky has a lot more material in this little verse of theirs for me to draw inspiration from.  
> (Go check them out on Tumblr, they're delightful!)

Loki moved with purpose, a pack heavy upon his back, a light shawl draped around his head and shoulders. The mute paused as he approached, taken somewhat aback. 

The village was much different than when he had last ventured out from the woods. On top of Thor’s original 30 raiders, the wave of new settlers from the Asgard clans had arrived, doubling the village’s population. Half of the huts had been moved, or razed altogether, making more room for a village common, at the end of which was a new Great Hall, still not quite finished. New homes of wood and stone were rising up all around the bones of the old village, like a man finally putting on the weight and muscle of adulthood.

And nobody seemed upset with this. The faces Loki knew moved about the new, fair-haired residents, looking... content. Filled with a newfound purpose, even. The houses the Vikings built were sturdy and warm looking. There was even a new tavern being built, by the looks of it. Only proper, Loki thought, now that there were near 200 residents, if not more. 

Loki scurried around the perimeter of the village, hoping the few places he normally visited were still where they used to be. He kept his shawl up, and his eyes down. Anyone that recognized him, hastily moved to avoid him. He thought he spotted the new Chief at one point, but he did not allow himself the luxury of finding out if it was actually him. Many of the newcomers were tall, strong, and golden-haired. He just wanted to make his trades, and be on his way. It was an uncomfortable experience to be around these superstitious people. His presence was tolerated only in the briefest stints, and he had no inclination to find out what would happen if he overstayed his welcome among them.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he walked away from the village, back to his sanctuary in the woods. He’d gone into the village around late morning, and was able to leave before the shadows were beginning to lengthen in earnest. Thank the Gods.

~

Thor spotted a lean figure with a pale grey shawl draped around him, and was jarred by how quickly he recognized the supposed witch from such a brief glance. He desperately wanted to cross the village, and meet with him once again. But Loki seemed to be moving with intent, an intent that involved avoiding people. 

Still, Thor let his curiosity get the better of him, and he followed the man across the village, from a distance.

“You look to be a man stalking his prey!” a cheerful voice said from behind him. Thor turned to see Fandral, one of his closest friends, and most clever warriors.

The man peeked over Thor’s shoulder, just as Loki came out of the tanner’s place. 

“Oh... well I can see why you have your eye on  _that_ one! What a lovely creature. But... I don’t recall seeing him before.” he commented, brow furrowing in thought.

“Nay.” Thor replied. “That one does not live here in the village.” he confirmed.

“Gods, don’t tell me you’ve gone and fallen for the witch they whisper about!” he chuckled. “Just like you, Thor, to what precisely what you shouldn’t! Let him go, pick one of the young fillies here in the village. Or even one that came from Odinhall.” he encouraged. He watched though, as the lean male walked between the houses, towards his next destination.

“Still.... I see the appeal. He’s quite lovely. Could very well be witchcraft, just as our new brethren claim it to be.” he added.

Thor could not disagree with anything Fandral said. Loki’s beauty  _could_ be some subtle sorcery. But he could not find it in his heart to care. And Fandral was right about finding another, too. It would be wise, to choose a female to take to his bed, perhaps even as a true bride, to establish a line of Chiefs in this new territory. These people seemed like they would take well to a leader by lineage, so long as that individual proved competent.

“Much as I hate to draw you away from you pining glances, there’s a bit of dispute about where one of our settlers wants to put his farm. And YOU, my Lord, must make a good impression and come mitigate. I’m sure we’ll be done by the time it’s time to christen the new tavern and crack open a fresh cask of ale.” he said cheerfully.

Thor frowned faintly, but followed. Once again, Fandral was right. His duties took priority over his strange obsession with the hermit from the woods.

However, he made a point the next day, to go and speak to the tanner.

“Grey, my good fellow, was that the wood witch I saw leaving your shop yesterday?” he asked, doing his best to seem nonchalant about it.

“Hm? Oh, yes, M’Lord. He comes round mayhaps every other month, sometimes a bit more often in the autumn.” the man replied, not looking up from where he was curing a hide.

“I was under the impression he never came here...” he mused. 

“Only ta trade, M’Lord. He’s no weaver, like my wife, and no tanner, like me. Fella’s strange, to be sure, but he don’t want ta go round wearing woven nettles. He comes with great lovely honey combs, from some great wild hive in his woods, and leaves here with a couple hides, some cloth, a spool of thread sometimes, to make himself some clothes. I trade the honey to old Glen, and he’s got a spot carved out in the ridge where he makes it into honey wine. And by the time it’s wine, nobody cares where it come from.” he said with a shrug. “He trades with Madge too, the healer, and Cole sometimes, I think. He’s got a taste for the nicer things, I’ve noticed. Likes the soft, fine calf hides. Sometimes I set aside some linen bit for him, when we go up to Alfheim for what we can’t make here. Once got two full combs for a green silk scarf I happened to pick up from a merchant by mistake.” 

“I see... Odd man indeed.” Thor replied thoughtfully. “And... do you believe what the villagers say about him? That he’s a witch?” he asked. 

Grey looked uncomfortable for a moment, shuffling from foot to foot.

“I... don’t know, M’Lord. He was never really one of us. But he was... normal, I suppose. Fair, but... kept to himself. Then some strange things started happening ‘round here, and he lost his voice, and it seemed too damn strange to be a coincidence.” he replied nervously, averting his eyes.

Thor absorbed all of this, keeping his thoughts on the matter to himself. He clapped Grey on the shoulder, giving him an encouraging smile. 

“Relax my friend! I am not here to punish you for being a good tradesman! I was simply curious when I saw the fellow about the village yesterday. I am not so superstitious myself, without proof before my eyes that something is afoul. You’ve nothing to fear for me. May you get a good trade in turn for your honey combs!” he said jovially. With that, he turned and left.

His next stop was to Madge, the village healer. She was a tiny old woman, slim and slightly hunched, but stronger than she looked, with a thick braid of steel-and-silver hair than hung nearly to her knobby little knees. He asked her also about the mute’s presence.

“Loki? Course, poor thing. Brings me all my best herbs. Wild herbs are always heartier than cultured, got roots that draw from the Gods, in the water and the soil and the wind. Herbs in a pot or a garden just don’t have the same power, ya ask me. Not the same roots.” she hummed, nodding her head. “And mushrooms! Oh, he brings me the loveliest mushrooms for soup! I can practically taste the dappled sunlight in them.” she said with a dreamy little smile. “Witch or not, the lad’s never done me wrong. And there’s a sadness and a loneliness in his eyes that he don’t have to speak for you to hear. And these superstitious fools accused him of all sorts of awful things, drove him from his nice little hut by the river. Poor dear. It’s a damn shame! My granddaughter, bless her, hasn’t a lick of talent for my remedies, or giving no comfort to them what needs it, from a healer. I’d take Loki under my wing in a heartbeat! He’d be a fine healer, if any of the thick-headed oafs in this place would let him touch them. But they won’t, the nits. Won't even let hims show his face if it's not the right time in the moon cycle! Think his 'power' is strongest during the full or the black moon. He only comes round during waxing or waning.” she huffed in annoyance. 

Thor thanked her for her time, leaving her to grinding some of the herbs Loki had brought her yesterday.

Loki. 

 _Even his name was pleasant_ , Thor thought with a little smile. And now he had some more perspective on the man. Especially from Madge. He’d learned some time ago, that sometimes the best people to listen to were the very young, who had not learned the reserve or the beliefs of their parents yet, and the very old, who no longer cared enough to hold their tongues in fear of judgement.

Still, he now wondered what had happened that had led the villagers to believe that he was a witch. Grey had spoken of ‘strange things’, and Madge had said there was sadness in him. But neither was an explanation. He went back down from Madge’s cabin on the hill pondering the mysteries that surrounded Loki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Leave me a kudos or a comment to encourage me to keep writing this? I'd appreciate it! ^_^

**Author's Note:**

> P.S.- I'm terrible at updating. If you like it, and want more of it, leave me kudos and comments to motivate me to continue! ^_^


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